The Proposal
by chalaess
Summary: Joe proposes, causing Stephanie to accidentally take some initiative in her love life. Babe oneshot


Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sad… I'm just borrowing everything from Janet Evanovich (but I wish I could keep Ranger…)

Some time after EOT, probably, but at the moment I'm not planning to make many references to time or various FTAs and such. Definitely a Babe fic. And just a warning, people might be all really OOC. If they are, I'm sorry, but I just got this idea in my head randomly and wanted to write it. The scenario, however, might cause me to screw up everyone's characters.

Ranger's POV

I'd just managed to get cuffs on my skip when my phone rang. I gave my skip a look which I knew would ensure that he stayed put, then flipped my phone open and put it to my ear.

"Yo." I could hear what sounded like someone crying. They were, however, either just starting up or just finishing up, so it was more like sniffles than actual sobs. My whole body tensed, however, because I had a good idea who would call me while crying. "Babe?"

Sure enough, Stephanie spoke seconds later. "Can you come get me?" I spared my skip a glance then answered. "Sure. Where are you?"

"Morelli's house."

As always (though no one would be able to tell it from looking at me) I felt the ridiculous urge to growl when I heard his name. "Be there in ten."

I hung up. The second after I did so, I was annoyed with myself. I knew she hated that I always hung up first, but, unfortunately, I always forget untilthe second after I hung up.

Immediately, I called Tank. I didn't even give him a chance to say anything, I just started my speech, even while pulling my skip up off the ground and into his kitchen (the skip's, that is, not Tank's kitchen). "Tank, you know what skip I'm at?" I didn't wait for a response; I knew he knew where I was. "I'm going to cuff the skip to the fridge and leave him in the kitchen. Come and get him and drop him off at the police station as soon as possible." Even as I said this, I uncuffed one hand, strung the handcuffs through the loop of the fridge handle, and then cuffed the other hand, so he was trapped against the fridge.

Tank didn't question me, at least, not much. "Is this about the Bombshell?"

"Yeah." Turning away, I walked out the door, hanging up as I went. I was pretty sure Tank didn't like it either, but, after having known me since middle school, I think he was used to it.

I was at Morelli's house a minute sooner than I'd thought I'd be. I pulled up and instantly the front door opened.

Stephanie hurried out, not quite running, but looking like, if it wouldn't get back to her mother that she'd sprinted out of Morelli's house, she'd do just that. Morelli came out after her, yelling, obviously angry.

"Oh great. You're calling him to take you away while you 'think it over'? More like, going to go sleep with him. You know what, Cupcake? I withdraw my proposal! I refuse to marry you, even if you come back begging for me to do it."

Apparently, Stephanie decided at this point that her mother would already be mad enough at her, because she ran the last few steps and threw open the door, getting in and then slamming the door behind her.

I didn't say anything, I just pulled away from the curb. I wasn't really sure where she wanted to go, so I just decided to drive in the general direction of her apartment, taking the…um…'scenic route' (aka driving around tons of blocks and making a lot of u-turnsand such before actually going towards her apartment).

Finally, as I'd expected her to, Stephanie spoke. "As you can probably guess, Morelli proposed." I felt my hands tighten on the wheel and tried to relax them but failed. Stephanie flicked her eyes towards my white-knuckled hands but, fortunately, chose not to comment. "I told him that I need to think it over." She took a deep breath and looked at me. I could tell that she was trying to decide if she should tell me or not. She apparently decided to, because her next words were spoken quietly, as though she were telling me a secret. "I'm not going to accept though. I don't love him. Not the way I should. Did you know I've never told him that I love him?"

I pulled over, turning towards her. Since I heard that Morelli proposed, I'd been trying and failing to relax my muscles, which had all tensed up. At her last admission, however, all the tension just disappeared. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to reply to the question, but before I could, even if I'd planned on it, she spoke again.

While her earlier words had been quiet because she was confiding in me, these words were quiet in the way I'd come to realize meant she was accidentally speaking her thoughts out loud. "Of course, I've never told Ranger I love him either, so I guess the actual admission isn't a very good indication of love. Plus, he did his stupid little he loves me, but in 'his own way', so even people who say they love you don't really." The first sentence was sad, and the second one was angry, also.

I just stared at her. Apparently, I was supposed to answer her earlier question, because she now looked at me expectantly. Noticing my stunned expression, she misinterpreted it. "Well come on! Don't be so surprised. Yes, I've known him since I was a kid." She blushed at this, making me wonder exactly how well they'd known each other. "But, he's totally obnoxious. He doesn't love me for me; he just loves what he wants to change me into."

"Uh, Babe." Wow. A finer example of eloquence has never been heard. But really, what was I supposed to say? Just ignore her accidental speech of earlier? Respond to it? Agree that Morelli was scum (that would be easy; he is)?

Clearly, I took too long deciding what to say, because Stephanie gave me an annoyed look. "This is ridiculous. Why don't you ever talk? It gets really annoying. I feel like I'm talking to myself." Then, again in the 'I'm thinking out loud, without meaning to' voice, "Except that _I_ actually talk back."

I grinned at that. "Good to know your conversations with yourself aren't one sided, Babe."

She rolled her eyes. "Why do I always do that?" I don't know what path her thoughts were traveling, but I could guess somewhat, because I saw her lips form 'ESP' and then she smiled a small smile and said 'mmm.' It was the kind of sound she made when she ate the first fry from The Cure, when I brought it to her.

"Uh, Babe?" This was ridiculous! I couldn't think of anything to say? I was definitely seeing her point about me not talking. I was beginning to annoy _myself_.

She started speaking again, in the thought voice. I'm not really sure how she got there, but she was, apparently, on the topic of me. Hearing myself discussed was strange, but I decided not to butt in. "Of course, what does 'in my own way' mean? Like, brother-sister love? Like, he said he loved me then instantly changed his mind and couldn't be like 'wait…no I don't' so he just added it on? Like a friend? Like an indulgent 'I'll protect you but you're sort of obnoxious, but I feel obligated to help you' love? Or like, a 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you?' And if that's it, what would happen if I was just like 'Ranger, I love you. Will you marry me?' What would he say?"

I was stunned, but I figured this was the best opening I was going to get any time soon. "I'd say yes."

Stephanie jerked in her seat as though I'd poked her with a hot poker. Then she stared at me. "Wh-what?"

I smiled in what I hoped was a charming manner. Judging by the way her breath caught, it at least partially worked. "I said that I'd say yes. Should we set the date yet?"

Stephanie was staring at me. She'd gone pale, obviously having realized that she'd spoken aloud. Then, suddenly, she seemed to come back to life. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at me. "Are you serious? Or is this just some dumb, teasing me, thing?"

I let her see that I was completely serious. I'd turned the car off a while ago, and now I unbuckled my seat belt and turned towards her, taking her hands in mine. "Stephanie, I love you. The 'in my own way' was a 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you' kind of thing. Will you marry me?"

Stephanie stared at me. Then she smiled. "I love you, Ranger. But I asked you first. We can't propose to each other, and I already beat you to it. So, will you, really?"

I definitely hadn't planned on being proposed to, but then, Stephanie tends to make me do lots of things I don't plan on doing. I smiled and nodded. Then I leaned over to her seat and kissed her long and hard.

When I pulled back (though I stayed close), we were both breathing hard. She was the first to speak. "So, that's a yes, then?"

I grinned. "Babe."

A/N: Sorry for the bad ending. It was pretty lame. But anyway, I just randomly got this idea, so I hoped you liked reading it.

Note to Ally: Ranger's restrainment method seem familiar from anything else I've written? (The FR mayhaps?) ;)


End file.
